.

.

Today’s Devotional – September 4th

.

.

.

.

Christian “Cool”!

.

.

.

.

A growing phenomenon began to rise up in this society in the early Twentieth Century, or perhaps even earlier.

.

It was called being “Modern” in those early years.

.

It was the ideology that in order to be relevant, one had to be trendy or fashionable.

.

And our society immediately and very eagerly locked itself onto this ideology!

.

Roaring Twenties – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

.

A CHANGEABLE WORLD

.

Yes, everything in society became subject to this unwritten law of conformity by fashion!

.

The music we listened to, the clothing we wore.

.

The trendy speech we spoke.

The places we went.

The cars we drove.

The drinks we drank.

The cigarettes we smoked.

.

Everything became dictated by some unseen “Overlord”, who told us just what is “hip”, and what is not “hip”!

.

And these societal dogmas and maxims were imposed upon us via television, radio, magazines, and eventually Internet!

.

Store window mannequins – Wikimedia – Share-alike License 3.0

 

.

.

.

.

.

THE YOUNG, SATAN’S SPECIAL TARGETS!

.

And of course, this powerful ideology of “what is hip & cool”, found its most loyal adherents among the younger segment of society…

.

…as the young scrambled to find some sort of proud identity for themselves among their peers.

.

Well, as the decades progressed, this ideology of “being fashionable” changed with each passing decade, making the trends of the former decade obsolete!

.

Oh yes, the retail industry loved all this planned obsolescence, since they could sell the newest fashions, the latest model of automobile, the most popular resort, the trendiest furniture, the newest colors in décor.

.

And the peoples of the western nations became willing slaves and anxious devotees to this ideology of being in fashion.

.

Elvis Presley – Wikipedia – Public Domain

The Beatles – Wikimedia – Creative Commons – Share-Alike License

.

.

.

.

.

“COOL” ENTERS THE CHURCH!

.

And of course, the Church eventually fell into this same notion, that in order to be relevant, we too had to be “cool and hip”!

.

And so, fashionability found its way into the Church of God! 

.

Yes, reverent hymns were replaced with drums, guitars, sensual crooners & sexy-sirens, throbbing bass guitars, and all the while trying to somehow incorporate quasi-Christian lyrics into the midst of all this very earthy and sensual music.

.

“Ministers of righteousness” also got on-board, by discarding their suits and ties, and instead, now donning un-buttoned sport-shirts, designer clothes, and a monologue combining stand-up comic humor, “coolness”, along with motivational-speaker dynamics!

.

Rock Christian STP 2010 Pomona – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

APOSTATE CHURCHES THRIVING!

.

And so, because the vast majority of churchgoers already had a self-imposed indoctrination via their own television and radio etc., at home, it took the spirit of Antichrist little effort to sell the church parishioners on this idea!

.

Well, to a certain degree all this did actually succeed in keeping the youth in the Church.

.

And by combining this “Christian Coolness” with the prosperity-driven gospels, the churches thrived like never before! 

.

skateboarder Jesus in Jeans by Peter Royle – cropped image – WIKIMEDIA – SHARE-ALIKE LICENSE

.

.

.

.

.

JESUS: THE SAME, FOREVER!

.

But the great spoiler to all this came whenever the true Jesus was held up against this clever counterfeit: against the “Christian-Cool” version of the Gospel.

.

Yes, if this compromised gospel was compared to the Holy Son of God, then it began to appear in all its UN-holiness.

.

And the light shining from the nail-pierced hands of Jesus exposed the darkness of this modern-day sophistry by His Satanic Majesty! 

.

The Bible declares… “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8. 

.

Jesus Teaching His Disciples – Luke 4:31-32 – www.lavistachurchofchrist.org

 

.

.

.

.

.

SEPARATING THE COMMON FROM THE HOLY

.

Listen to God’s speech to Jeremiah… 

“Therefore thus saith the LORD,

If thou return, then will I bring thee again,

and thou shalt stand before Me:

and if thou take forth the precious from the vile,

thou shalt be as My mouth:

let them return unto thee;

but return not thou unto them.”

Jeremiah 15:19. 

.

God here, was telling Jeremiah to remove all commonness, and cheapness, and worldliness from his speech.

.

This was the battle-line which God was drawing in the sand, so to speak, between Jeremiah, and the apostate congregation of his day!

.

You simply cannot expect God’s blessing by mingling Christ with this Antichrist world! That’s not the way to bring sheep into God’s pasture! 

.

.

.

.

.

.

TOO NARROW FOR ‘COOL’

.

The Narrow Gate is only wide enough for a redeemed soul filled with Jesus to fit through.

.

So please don’t try to bring any ways & wares of the world into God’s house! God will not accept anyone who tries.

.

They will be left in outer darkness, thinking that they are sitting among the “Congregation of the Righteous” Psalms 1:5, when in fact they will only be left on the outside, sitting among the “Congregation of the Dead.” Proverbs 21:16.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

PURITY & HOLINESS = PEACE & JOY

.

God always gives joy and peace to those who desire to live in purity and holiness. It is a “peace of God, which passes all understanding”. Philippians 4:7

.

Contrariwise, those who insist on having a compromised gospel will never find that true peace and joy until they turn and repent and “return to the Lord with all your hearts and put away all your strange gods”. 1st Samuel 7:3

.

Woman with Bible – Braet von Überfeldt – 1866 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to shed of all my compromising ways, so that all the world might see Jesus in me…

Marine Praying – Wikimedia – USMC Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Fleeing to the Mountains: The Abomination in the Church, Part 1”…

…or you can also read…“(George Whitefield: Ye Must Be Born Again!)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

 

 

.

.

.

.

THE END

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S HEAVENLY SIGN

 

.

.

.

 

“THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN IN HEAVEN”

.

“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:

and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,

and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven

with power and great glory.” 

Matthew 24:30 

.

God promised that “there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars;” Luke 21:25. 

.

And we didn’t remember that “the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” Hebrews 4. 

.

The Signs Of Heaven were already created from the foundation of the world.

.

But as we have learned in the past, God often works in ways we aren’t expecting, or looking for.

.

For instance, at the first Advent, Jesus came in a way that nobody was expecting.

.

There was a general consensus amongst the theologians in those days, that the Messiah would come with conquering armies to overtake the enemies of the Jews.

.

And of course, the quiet and gentle manner in which Jesus did actually come took everyone by surprise.

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Orion Phenomena” 

.

.

.

.

.

TOMORROW:

September 5th (Nature’s Witnesses, Part 10: “The Joy of Creation!”)

Mother Child face-to-face – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

.

ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

.

THIS IS STUDY #245 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD C

.

.

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

 

.

.

Today’s Devotional – September 3rd

.

.

.

.

Noble Bereans,

.

Part 2:

“True Bereans”

To read part 1, click here…“September 2nd (Noble Bereans?)”

.

.

.

.

.

.

So, yesterday, this subject of those noble Bereans was introduced. And today, it is still worthy of a little more exploration.

.

Let’s look at the key Bible passage… 

“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea:

who coming there, went into the synagogue of the Jews.

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica,

in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,

and searched the scriptures daily,

whether those things were so.”

Acts 17:10, 11

.

St Paul Preaching in Athens (Raphael, 1515) Wikipedia US public domain

.

.

.

.

.

AN OPEN-MINDED SPIRIT IN BEREA

.

Okay, so these in Berea were more noble, because they: 

.

1. “…received the Word with all readiness of mind.” 

.

2. And they “…searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

.

Thus, there was an open-minded readiness to examine and possibly receive new teachings, which permeated their thinking.

.

Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

.

.

.

.

.

They “…searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

.

And secondly, they searched the Scriptures daily, to see whether those things were so.

.

In other words, these were not just mind-controlled followers of the popular teachers of that day.

.

No, but rather, they were noble enough to entertain this ill-reputed and much-maligned and greatly despised renegade, Paul, who was bringing a very new and different angle on the Scriptures.

.

Yes, Paul was really teaching some incredibly new-sounding doctrines!

.

And yet, these noble people were willing to hear him out, and actually hoping he was correct!

.

They searched the Scriptures, “to see if these things were so”! 

.

St Paul Preaching in Athens (Raphael, 1515) Wikipedia US public domain

.

.

.

.

.

CLOSED-MINDED SPIRIT TODAY

.

No, they weren’t just trying to find the first flaw, so that they could quickly reject Paul!

.

But that’s how it’s done today, to a great degree!

.

Sad to say, today, we have the same closed-mindedness of most of those people back in Paul’s day.

.

Yes, most of them merely suffered Paul to say what he had say, only listening to him with narrow eyes, and a skeptical heart.

.

But if they heard even one little thing that they disagreed with, they quickly dismissed everything he had to say and began throwing rocks at Paul!

.

Well, we don’t throw rocks today.

.

Not literal rocks, anyway!

.

But we certainly have the same narrow-minded skepticism that they had back in those days! 

.

Paul persecuted by Pharisees & Sadducees – www.thebiblerevival.com – US Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

MANY BEREANS BELIEVED!

.

So, one can just imagine how refreshing it was for Paul to preach to these noble ones…

.

…who were completely open-minded to the seemingly new and often contradictory teachings that they were now hearing.

.

Listen… “Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.” Acts 17:12

.

Paul was giving them the Bible only, and not some man-contrived, theological jargon.

.

Paul the Apostle – Artist – Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier – circa 1500s – Wikipedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

WHAT DO MY LEADERS SAY?

.

If only the people of God today would have this same spirit which pervaded those noble ones in Berea. But the response today might, instead be… 

.

“Well, I’m going to have to ask my pastor about this new teaching and see what he has to say.” 

.

…or we may say…

.

“I’m sorry, your teachings just don’t agree with what my church teaches!” 

.

In truth, the vast majority in the Church today, are merely clinging to our comfortable religion!” 

.

Listen… “O My people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.” Isaiah 3:12

.

Very sadly, those who merely follow their leaders, instead of being “Noble Bereans” and doing our own personal homework, will lose the true Way.  

.

Pied Piper – Wikipedia – public domain

.

.

.

.

.

A FAITHFUL REMNANT

.

But alas, God has a faithful remnant within the ranks of the “great congregation”!

(see Psalms 22:25, 25:18, 40:9 for “great congregation” reference) 

.

And though, the sheep of the true and “great congregation” may be scattered here and there, yet they will be prompted by God’s Spirit to search day-by-day, with an open mind.

.

And they will not let some supposed discrepancy cause them to quickly reject the messengers, but will set those things aside, for a time, while they keep studying, praying, and studying!

.

Because, the truth is all they really want!

.

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

TO READ THE NEXT PART, CLICK HERE…

OCTOBER 11 (Noble Bereans, Part 3: Re-thinking Harold Camping)

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to be an open-minded seeker of truth, even if it means giving up a very highly regarded Church doctrine…

Prayer for USA – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “February 27th (Love Is Not A Pick-N-Choose Buffet)“…

…or you can also read… “July 31st (Most Misquoted Bible Verse Award!) “

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

.

.

.

.

THE END

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S HEAVENLY SIGN

 

.

.

.

BIBLE VERSES PICTURED IN THE HEAVENS

.

.

THIS STAR-CHART: This is a Wikipedia star-chart, in which this site’s editor has sketched in these three constellations (without the Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation).

.

Notice how the right front hoof is trampling on the tail of the Dragon.

.

Also notice his eye is a star.

.

This amazing constellation is best seen when in the western half of the sky, in mid-sky, traveling from east to west.

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Holy-Ghost-Rider Constellation”

.

.

.

.

.

TOMORROW:

“September 4th (Christian “Cool”!)”

skateboarder Jesus in Jeans by Peter Royle – cropped image – WIKIMEDIA – SHARE-ALIKE LICENSE

.

.

.

.

.

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

.

ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

.

THIS IS STUDY #244 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

.

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

.

Today’s Devotional – September 2nd

.

.

.

.

Noble Bereans?

.

Part 1

.

.

.

.

.

So, in this little series, the subject of those noble Bereans has been introduced.

.

And today, it is still worthy of a little more exploration into another area of concern.

.

Let’s review the key Bible passage… 

“And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea:

who coming there, went into the synagogue of the Jews.

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica,

in that they received the word with all readiness of mind,

and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

Acts 17:10, 11

.

St Paul Preaching (Raphael, 1515) – Wikipedia – US public domain

.

.

.

.

.

AN OPEN-MINDED SPIRIT IN BEREA

.

Okay, so those in Berea were more noble, because they:

.

1. “Received the Word with all readiness of mind.”

.

2. “And searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

.

And so, the Bereans were ready to receive new teachings, which no doubt, conflicted with the supposed, “orthodox” teachings of that day.

.

Thus, there was an open-mindedness which permeated their hearts, and a willingness to search the Scriptures daily, in hopes that these seemingly new teachings were indeed true!

.

La Bible, Notre-Dame – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike License

.

.

.

.

.

NOBLE BEREANS TODAY?

.

But where are the Noble Bereans today?

.

Well, maybe some groups are indeed like those noble Bereans.

.

But other groups are anything but open-minded!

.

This is made manifest, because there are many who spend their efforts in condemning anyone who does not subscribe to today’s mainline popular theology! 

.

And somehow, they figure that this is what it means to be a noble Berean?!

.

Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

TOTALITARIANS

.

And even more than this, these gifted debaters have a way of making us feel like heretics, if we even dare to question their authority!

.

“We will tell you who to listen to and who not to listen to”, they might quietly say to themselves.

.

And because today’s listeners are quite often too busy in life to do our own personal study…

.

…we, instead, simply follow these prestigious teachers who not only have the charisma, but also have a big voice over the airways!

.

Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

PAUL’S VEILED WARNING

.

Paul warned Timothy of such totalitarianism… 

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,

that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,

giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 

Speaking lies in hypocrisy;

having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 

Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats,

which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving

of them which believe and know the truth.”

1st Timothy 4:1-3

.

Now Paul warns that these apostate ones are forbidding the Church to marry.

.

This is actually speaking of the Church marrying Christ.

.

In other words, by their false doctrines and church dogma, Christians become confused as to what is true Salvation.

.

Thus, today’s church-world is filled with many who attend church faithfully, but have never truly become “Born Again” (married to Christ)!

.

Paul the Apostle – Artist – Valentin de Boulogne or Nicolas Tournier – circa 1500s – Wikipedia – public domain

.

.

.

.

.

.

THE MEAT OF THE WORD

.

And these next words, “commanding to abstain from meats”, are actually speaking of abstaining from the strong meat of God’s Word which is veiled in allegorical language. (see Hebrews 5:14).

.

Yes, today’s teachers are commanding the Church to never try to see the spiritual interpretation of God’s Word.

.

They call this the “Historical, grammatical method of interpretation”. 

.

But there is nothing in the Bible which commands us to abstain from the strong meat of the Word.

.

Quite the contrary, we are, instead, to compare, “spiritual things with spiritual” when trying to find the deeper spiritual interpretation.

.

Chaplain reads Bible – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

“THY WORDS WERE FOUND & I DID EAT THEM”

Jeremiah 15:16

.

And all this concept of spiritual meat is only confirmed in the verse, which says…

“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things,

thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, 

NOURISHED UP in the words of faith and of good doctrine,

whereunto thou hast attained.”

1st Timothy 4:6

.

Ah ha! So, by accepting this spiritual meat of God’s Word, we will be “nourished up in the words of faith”.

.

So, in other words, Paul is here confirming just what he was really saying! Being “nourished up” has to do with the eating God’s Word.

.

Thus, this is part of the key to spiritually understanding this above passage from 1st Timothy 4:1-6!

.

And in Hebrews 5:12-14, Paul likened the deeper truths of the Bible to, “Strong meat”.

.

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

“For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused”

1st Timothy 4:4 

.

This passage from 1st Timothy goes on to say…

“For every creature of God is good,

and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:

For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer…”

1st Timothy 4:4-6 

.

The Bible uses many earthly object lessons to teach the Gospel.

.

From Genesis to Revelation, the many true stories, prophecies, parables, etc., are all orchestrated by God to teach some aspect of the Gospel, using the objects of creation to teach spiritual truths.

.

They are all the “hidden manna” which those whose eyes have been enlightened can discern these hidden truths, veiled in allegories, types, shadows, and parables.

(Revelation 2:17 for “hidden manna”)

Worker ant carrying leaf – Wikimedia – Public Domain

Spider Web – Wikipedia – Public Domain

ABOVE PICTURE – 7 Stars Constellation as the Cross (aka Big Dipper) – winter – signsofheaven.org – not for commercial uses

.

.

.

.

.

BIBLE A SPIRITUAL BOOK!

.

And so, this passage from 1st Timothy is really just confirming what this devotional is saying: that today’s church-world…

.

…while thinking they are like those Noble Bereans, in reality, forbidding the Church to marry Christ, by commanding the Church not to partake of the deep spiritually allegorical nature of God’s Word!

.

ABOVE PICTURE: Holy Bible – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Lic.

.

.

.

.

TO READ PART 2, CLICK HERE…

September 3rd (Noble Bereans, Part 2: True Bereans)

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Let me not be led astray with the error of the wicked. But give me a love for truth, which refuses to be satisfied with anything less…

Woman Praying – cropped image – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read…” March 14th (Paul the Ultimate Replacement Theologian!)”…

…You may also read…May 8 (“Do Ye Not Hear The Law veiled in Allegories?)

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

.

.

.

.

.

THE END

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S HEAVENLY SIGN

 

.

.

.

 

“THE SCORNER (THE PHARISEE)”

.

“For from within, out of the heart of men,

proceed evil thoughts…AN EVIL EYE,

blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

All these evil things come from within,

and defile the man.”

Mark 7:18-23 

.

Please tilt your head to the left.

.

Do you see a man with a very long pointed nose? (Obviously, the sketch to the right is just an exaggeration in order to help you find the face in the photo to the left.)

.

Do you see an angry look? His right eyebrow is raised as if he is judging.

.

This second face in the Moon appears to be that of a combination of a man as well as a fox.

.

Or maybe a wolf.

.

Doesn’t he have a long narrow nose like a wolf or fox?

.

Maybe even a dog.

.

Nevertheless, the expression on his face, as he appears to look down upon the Earth, is that of scorn.

.

Unlike the first Moon-man’s sad shock and awe; this ‘man/fox/wolf/dog’ appears to be that of anger and scorn.

.

As if he is disgusted at the sinful planet below.

.

He is very moral, you see!

.

Moon – Public Domain – 2nd face Pharisee Scorner – by Cezar Popescu for Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain – cropped, highlighted & rotated photo

.

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Moon Into Blood Trilogy: 2nd Face: The Evil-Eyed Pharisee Scorner”

.

.

.

.

.

TOMORROW:

“September 3rd (Noble Bereans, Part 2: True Bereans)”

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

.

ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

.

THIS IS STUDY #243 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

Harold Camping Jeremiah Series #243

.

.

.

.

.

.

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

 

.

.

Today’s Devotional – September 1st

.

.

.

.

Witnessing thru Trials

.

.

.

.

.

.

“And there appeared

a great wonder (sign) in heaven;

a woman clothed with the sun,

and the moon under her feet,

and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:”

Revelation 12:1

.

.

.

.

.

.

In the Night Heavens, God has created a constellation which corresponds to the Revelation 12 Woman.

.

You see, God has placed in the heavens, the symbol of His bride, the Church-Faithful.

.

In the summer night-sky, she appears as the woman-in-travail. 

.

This is the constellation, Ursa Major.

.

And this article will introduce you to this amazing sign of Heaven, and what it means to you and to me.

.

.

.

.

.

PRECIOUS SEED

.

If you will notice, the stars coming out of her right foot and right hand.

.

It almost appears as if she is dropping seeds.

.

And isn’t it true that when we come to the Lord, we are constantly trying to tell others about Jesus.

.

Yes, as clumsy as we are, we nevertheless try to get others to share in our excitement about Salvation.

.

And so, the right hand is symbolic of conscious and deliberate works.

.

Listen… “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:” Matthew 6:3.

.

So Jesus presents this same spiritual concept, regarding the right hand, and the left hand.

.

ABOVE STAR-CHART – Summer constellation – Woman of Revelation 12 In Travail (aka: Ursa Major which includes The Big Dipper) – www.signsofheaven.org

.

.

.

.

.

FLEEING IN WINTER

.

Now if you will look at this same constellation in winter, it flips upside down and now appears as the same Revelation 12 Woman, as a fleeing woman.

.

But in her upside-down position, she now appears to be casting seed from her left hand and left foot.

.

So, what is the significance of this left-handed effort?

.

.

.

.

.

BOOK OF DANIEL

.

This right-hand/left-hand concept is perhaps, best illustrated in the Book of Daniel.

.

And so, if we look into the Book of Daniel, we can see this concept of witnessing through trials.

.

Yes, repeatedly in that little book, Daniel and his three Hebrew companions were faced with life-threatening trials.

.

And each and every time, these four Hebrews remained faithful to God.

.

And in so-doing, they unknowingly became a great witness for Jehovah God.

.

Yes, even the King of Babylon was pierced in heart by their courage, and by God’s deliverance of Daniel and the three Hebrews.

.

But it is very interesting, that never is it mentioned that these four Hebrews ever did any other type of witnessing!

.

No, in Daniel, there is no mention of any vocal witnessing, except during the moments of extreme trial!

.

Fiery Furnace by Gustave Dore’ courtesy of adelaide.edu.au

.

.

.

.

.

.

REVELATION 12 WOMAN CASTING SEED

.

And so, this Revelation 12 Woman in her fleeing position in winter puts a great big exclamation mark on this concept of witnessing through trials.

.

.

In other words, the seeds which appear to be scattering from her left hand and left foot are a heavenly portrait of how God’s people unknowingly are witnessing…

.

…proclaiming the soul-saving Gospel, as they are merely fleeing from Satan’s deadly wave of destruction, as he attempts to destroy the Church and Christ’s seed in the earth!

.

ABOVE PICTURE: Winter – Revelation 12 Woman with Eagle Wings (aka Ursa Major, including The Big Dipper)

ABOVE PICTURE: Revelation 12 Dragon – Winter – Hyades, Pleiades, etc. – not for commercial uses

.

.

.

.

.

FLEEING TO THE MOUNTAINS, A WITNESS

.

“In the LORD put I my trust:

how say ye to my soul,

Flee as a bird to your mountain?”

Psalm 11:1

.

As the Christian decides to cast away the idols of the World, and begins to flee to the Narrow Gate, people will take notice!

.

And so, just as this Revelation 12 Woman is casting seed as she flees, so too will Christians as they likewise flee!

.

ABOVE PICTURE – Constellation – Woman of Revelation 12 flees to the mountains – Mark 13:14 – This is not a star-chart, but merely a concept picture

.

.

.

.

.

WITNESSING IN ILLNESS

.

The child of God can be a great witness to the world, even in sickness.

.

As the world beholds the faith and trust, and even the peace and joy of the afflicted Believer, it sticks in their mind.

.

Because they instinctively know that someday, sooner or later, they too will get sick and die!

.

And so, such a witness can and will be God’s opportunity to bring souls to Salvation, as they behold your faith and love and peace which surpasses all understanding!

.

Munch – Det Syke Barn – 1896 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

MUCH TO BE LEARNED!

.

And so, these are just a few concepts which this great sign in Heaven teaches us.

.

But there are other concepts to be learned.

.

And so, the Reader is invited to explore this great sign in the night heavens!

.

ABOVE PICTURE: Winter – Revelation 12 Woman with Eagle Wings (aka Ursa Major, including The Big Dipper)

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Fill me with the Spirit of Christ, so that wherever I go, whatever I do, the world might see Jesus in me…

Prayer for USA – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Woman of Revelation 12 (Woman in Travail)”…

…or you can also read… ” March 7th (Finding Perfect Peace, Pt. 2, “Precious Promises”)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

THE END

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S HEAVENLY SIGN

 

.

.

. 

WOMAN ROTATES THROUGH THE SEASONS…

.

This page is about the Big Dipper, also called the Great Bear constellation (Ursa Major ).

.

However, the ancient pagan cultures did not see this constellation as God intended it to be seen.

.

is actually a headless woman in childbirth.  

.

This is seen in springtime.

.

It is seen in the northern skies. 

.

But as the seasons progress, this travailing woman flips upside down, now appearing as a woman with upraised arms like eagle wings who is running (eventually flying, as shown in sketch on right) into the wilderness (westward).

.

The single star representing her birth-child (Christ) now becomes her head (“Christ is the head of the church.” Ephesians 5:23

.

The 7 Stars (Big Dipper) is easy to see with its very bright 7 stars.

.

the Revelation 12 Woman (Ursa Major) must be seen on a dark starry night, away from city lights. 

.

These are star charts from Wikipedia, with sketches of the Woman added.

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Woman of Revelation 12 (Flees to the Wilderness)” 

.

.

.

.

.

TOMORROW:

“September 2nd (Noble Bereans?)”

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

.

ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

.

THIS IS STUDY #242 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

.

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Today’s Devotional – August 31st

.

.

.

.

Kunta Kinte Christians,

.

Part 3:

“Golden Shackles” 

TO READ PART 1, JUST CLICK HERE… “July 17th (Kunta Kinte Christians)”

.

.

.

.

.

In the July 17th devotional, the book, “Roots” was the centerpiece for a discussion about how God quite often allows Christians to suffer afflictions.

.

And the concept about “suffering with Jesus” was brought out in a manner that is not very well accepted in today’s gospels…

.

…gospels which, either word or deed, have their focus quite often on earthly prosperity. 

.

But perhaps, this semi-historical slave figure, Kunta Kinte, can also be used for today’s subject of “Golden Shackles”. 

.

Roots 25th Anniversary Edition – Wikipedia – Non-Free Media Rationale

.

.

.

.

.

VOLUNTEER SLAVERY

.

Well, the simple fact is, that for Kunta Kinte, his bondage came by those cruel and greedy men who captured him against his will and enslaved him in the early years of this society.

.

But there are other ways to become a slave-servant.

.

Yes, Kunta Kinte became a slave against his own will.

.

But there are many today who become slaves by their own free choice! They willingly volunteer to become a slave!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

“…the borrower is servant to the lender.”

Proverbs 22:7

.

Yes, in this land-of-plenty, there are many who fill up their lives with an abundance of possessions. And all such become servants to those possessions.

.

Yes, the Bible speaks in this above verse against going into debt. And as this above verse warns, “the borrower is the servant to the lender”.

.

And even Paul admonishes us…“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another” Romans 13:8

.

It is far more pleasant to be debt free, than to have the burden upon our back of unpaid debt.

.

Hair pulling stress – frustration – Wikimedia – Share-alike License

.

.

.

.

.

.

BUT THIS IS NOT THE ONLY WAY IN WHICH WE BECOME WILLING SLAVES!

.

Exclamation Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

TRYING TO HANG ON TO POSSESSIONS

.

Listen… “The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.” Proverbs 5:12.

.

Yes, those who have an abundance of possessions are constantly worried about how to hold on to them!

.

Whether they be houses, or lands, or cars or boats or planes or TV’s, clothes, motorhomes, vacation homes…

.

…or all the other myriads of possessions which this cornucopia of a society produces in abundance, one thing is sure: each one of these possessions must be maintained.

.

One housewife complained that the more things in her home that were horizontal, the more dusting she had to do!

.

And of course, those who own motorized tools or vehicles, don’t need to be told just how much care that each of those possessions must have!

.

One wise-guy made the analysis, that ownership of “acres” of land was an appropriate name, because each of those acres became a headache to properly maintain!

So he thought “acres” might be better spelled, “headachers”!

.

Mall Market culture – Jakarta – Wikimedia – share-alike-lic.

.

.

.

.

.

BE CONTENT WITH FOOD & RAIMENT

.

Paul, the Apostle, lived free from ownership, to a great degree. He had a tent-making trade which he could no doubt purchase raw tent-making material in any town he came to.

.

But that one simple man, Paul, was greatly responsible for the raising up of many churches throughout the Middle East.

.

But had he been mired down with many possessions, who knows how much less would have been accomplished by Paul.

.

And Paul made this assessment about possessions…

“But godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world,

and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare,

and into many foolish and hurtful lusts…”

(1st Timothy 6:5-11- To read entire passage click here)

.

In his God-given wisdom, Paul here warned Believers against the pursuit of earthly riches…

.

Paul Tentmaking – La Vista Church of Christ – Creative Commons License

Paul Shipwrecked – Acts 27:41-44 – www.lavistachurchofchrist.org – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

CHOOSE EARTH OR HEAVEN, BUT NOT BOTH!

.

Those who fill up their lives with many possessions will have little time for Bible study, prayer and contemplation of God’s Word.

.

They are simply too busy trying to maintain their “abundant” life.

.

And so, whatever relationship they had with God, usually, “gets placed on the back burner”, as the saying goes, in their vain attempt to serve both God and Mammon.

.

But listen to Jesus… 

“No man can serve two masters:

for either he will hate the one, and love the other;

or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.

Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

Matthew 6:24

.

So Jesus plainly reveals that it is impossible to serve both God and Mammon (materialism).

.

.

.

.

.

TRADE YOUR EARTHLY RICHES FOR HEAVENLY!

.

And so, what is the solution?

.

Jesus was confronted by a rich young ruler, who somehow knew that his life was not right with God.

.

Jesus told him … 

“If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast,

and give to the poor,

and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven:

and come and follow Me. 

But when the young man heard that saying,

he went away sorrowful:

for he had great possessions.”

Matthew 19:21, 22

.

Rich Young Ruler – Hoffman – wikimedia commons – US public domain

.

.

.

.

.

HEAVENLY TREASURES!

.

So here in that story of the “Rich, Young Ruler”, was revealed how we might gain true heavenly riches of love, etc… if he would simply let go of his tight grip on his earthly riches!

.

Listen to Jesus… 

“So likewise, whosoever he be of you

that forsaketh not all that he hath,

he cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 14:33. 

WOW!! Such an incredible revelation here! We cannot be disciples of Jesus, until we are ready to forsake all!

.

Oh no, Jesus is not saying here that we must literally trash all our possessions, especially if we have families with varied needs and desires!

.

No, but when we truly begin to follow Jesus, the things of this world quickly lose their meaning.

.

It is as that old song… 

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus…

Look full in His wonderful face!

And the things of this world, will grow strangely dim,

in the light of His glory and grace!”

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TO READ PART 4, CLICK HERE…

 August 31 – Kunta Kinte Christians, Part 4: “Sitting Still” CONTINUED

Virtuous Woman with Bible – Braet von Überfeldt – 1866 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Free me from the bondage of materialism. Let me discover the freedom which comes from forsaking the Mammon of this world. Let me become a stranger and pilgrim in this world as I follow Jesus…

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… ““Vanity Fair” & The False Prophet”…

…or you can also read…  ” June 23rd (The Natural Man’s Prosperity Gospel)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

.

.

.

.

THE END

.

.

.

.

.

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S HEAVENLY SIGN

 

.

.

.

.

THE NARROW WAY: THE PILGRIM’S PATHWAY

.

“Enter ye in at the strait gate:

for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,

that leadeth to destruction,

and many there be which go in thereat: 

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,

which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Matthew 7:13-14 

.

.

.

.

.

.

LOCATION

.

This most amazing phenomenon is seen throughout the winter.

.

Although it can be observed most of the winter, it is seen best when it is the western part of the sky, at winter’s end (The end of winter being the final scene of this heavenly Gospel story). 

.

Orion, the Dragon, and the Glorious White Horse are beginning to descend into the western horizon (sketch to right is Winter Constellations descending into western horizon. This can actually be seen as early as December, in the pre-dawn hours).

.

And at this point it is apparent that the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation is veering toward the two bright stars, known as Castor and Pollux (sketch to left).

.

But the Wide Gate Stars are composed of the two brightest stars of the Auriga Constellation, known as the star, Capella, and the star, Menkalinan.

.

The two stars, Castor and Pollux, make up the concept of the Orion’s Narrow Gate Stars.

.

This can even be observed into June in the western sky (for a short time just after dark). 

.

While a dark night is best for seeing the Woman Constellation, the 4 stars which comprise the Narrow Gate/Wide Gate Stars can be seen even under mediocre conditions.

.

It begins with the Fleeing Woman of Revelation 12 Constellation (AKA Ursa Major) going towards these two doors.

.

 

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Revelation 12 Woman & The Narrow Gate Stars (Orion’s Gate to Heaven)” 

.

.

.

.

.

TOMORROW:

“September 1st (Witnessing Thru Trials)”

Munch – Det Syke Barn – 1896 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

.

ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

.

THIS IS STUDY #241 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

.

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

 

.

.

Today’s Devotional – August 30th

.

.

.

.

“Oh, My Etch-A-Sketch Heart!”

.

.

.

.

.

 

Have you ever had an Etch-A-Sketch?

.

Yes, remember those frustrating little tablets, in which we tried to draw pictures on, but could never save, if we ever wanted to draw anything else!

.

And we had to turn them upside-down, and shake away the image we spent so much time and effort to make upon those little tablets!

.

Yes, the Etch-A-Sketch was a tablet which loved to be erased!

.

Taj Mahal drawing on an Etch-A-Sketch – Wikimedia – Share-Alike Lic.

.

.

.

.

.

WHICH IMAGE IS ETCHED UPON MY HEART

.

But there are tablets which we can create images upon, which are not so easy to erase!

.

And those tablets are the tablets of the heart!

.

Yes, the tablets of the heart begin as blank pages, when we come into this world! But soon, they become filled with words and images! 

.

Listen… “My son…Keep My commandments, and live…

write them upon the table of thine heart.”

Proverbs 7:1-3

.

Yes, the human heart is a tablet in which we write the important things that we see and hear and read each day!

.

And those parents who are wise, will guard well the tablets of the hearts of their own children!

.

ABOVE PICTURE: Mark of the beast – pub. dom. – Wikipedia

.

.

.

.

.

“EPISTLES, KNOWN & READ OF ALL MEN!”

.

Paul, when writing to the Corinthian Church, gave further revelation about the tablets of the human heart, when he wrote… 

…”Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared

to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us,

written NOT with ink,

but with the Spirit of the living God;

not in tables of stone,

but in fleshly tables of the heart.”

2nd Corinthians 3:3

.

Yes, Paul, in this above passage, declared that we are a living letter (epistle), “known and read of all men!” 2nd Corinthians 3:2.

.

And so, whatever is written upon the fleshly tables of our heart, is made manifest to all the world!

.

And this is why it is so important to make sure about what we allow into the gateways to our heart: the eye-gates and the ear-gates are, indeed, the avenues to our soul!

.

And as Solomon warned… 

“Keep thy heart with all diligence;

for out of it are the issues of life.

Put away from thee a froward mouth,

and perverse lips put far from thee.

Let thine eyes look right on,

and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.”

Proverbs 4:23-25

.

And so, Solomon understood this all-important truth, that the heart must be carefully guarded!

.

Notice he speaks directly of our eyes and of the mouth/ears, in connection to our heart?

.

Yes, the eyes and ears are truly the avenues to those tablets of the heart!

.

Paul before Agrippa and festus Nikolai Bodarevsky wikimedia US public domain

.

.

.

.

.

HABAKKUK’S VISION

.

Now in the little Book of Habakkuk, the Lord commands the prophet to…

“And the LORD answered me, and said,

Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables,

that he may run that readeth it. 

For the vision is yet for an appointed time,

but at the end it shall speak, and not lie:

though it tarry, wait for it;

because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

Habakkuk 2:2, 3

.

Now the Book of Habakkuk describes just what was this vision, which God commanded him to write upon tablets.

.

Listen… “Therefore the law is slacked,

and judgment doth never go forth:

for the wicked doth compass about the righteous;

therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.”

Habakkuk 1:4

.

Yes, this was Habakkuk’s vision: the Chaldeans (Babylonians) were surrounding God’s people, creating their own heathen images upon the tables of the hearts of God’s people!

.

And the corrupting influence of these unbelievers was causing great spiritual drunkenness among God’s people!

.

Habakkuk by James Tissot – Wikimedia Commons – US Public Domain

 

.

.

.

.

.

THE IMAGE OF JESUS UPON OUR HEART!

.

But the wonderful news is this.

.

We today have the privilege of transcribing the glorious image of Jesus upon our heart (which is illuminated by the law and prophets and New Testament).

.

Yes, Jesus is now the centerpiece of the Bible!

.

And as Paul so beautifully said… 

“But we all, with open face

beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,

are changed into the same image from glory to glory,

even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

2nd Corinthians 3:18

.

WOW! Do you see what has been said in this above passage?

.

That as we steadfastly behold the image of Christ (as revealed in Scripture), He becomes the image which will be written upon the tablets of our heart!

.

And by beholding that glorious image, we become imperceptibly changed into that glorious image!

.

Transfiguration – Bloch – Wikimedia Commons – US Public-Domain

Virtuous Woman with Bible – Braet von Überfeldt – 1866 – Wikipedia – US Public Domain

 

 

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Help me to guard well, the avenues to my soul. And give me the love for filling my heart with the pure water of Thy Word…

Prayer at Day’s End – Angelus by Jean-François Millet – Wikipedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Fleeing to the Mountains, Part 3: The Abomination in My Heart”…

…or you can also read… “October 27th (Television & the Image That Speaks)“

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

.

.

.

.

THE END

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN

 

.

.

.

 

ARK SEEN IN HEAVEN 

.

“And the temple of God was opened in heaven,

and there was seen in His Temple the Ark of His Testament:

and there were lightnings, and voices,

and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” 

Revelation 11:19

.

The above verse from Revelation, speaks of God’s Temple in Heaven being opened.

.

But this great constellation, the Sagittarius Constellation  is actually the constellation of the Ark of the Covenant. 

.

So, these two events go hand in hand simultaneously.

.

The Ark Constellation, as sketched into this Wikipedia star-chart, is a representation of the heavenly Ark, as God begins to open up the spiritual concepts of that true Ark to our minds.

.

Star-chart from Wikipedia (this Website has taken the liberty to sketch in this Ark Constellation)

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “Ark of the Covenant Constellation, Pt. 2: How To Enter The Most Holy Place” 

.

.

.

.

.

TOMORROW:

“August 31st (Kunta Kinte Christians, Part 3: Golden Shackles!)” 

Roots 25th Anniversary Edition – Wikipedia – Non-Free Media Rationale

.

.

.

.

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

.

ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

.

THIS IS STUDY #240 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

.

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

.

.

 

.

.

Today’s Devotional – August 29th

.

.

.

.

End-Time Exodus,

.

Part 5:

Overcoming The World!

To Read Part 1, click here… “August 25th (End-Time Exodus! Part 1)”

.

.

.

.

.

There is a secret ingredient in overcoming the world and overcoming the flesh.

.

Yes, unceasing prayer is the “secret sauce” to this recipe for success, in overcoming the world and the flesh.

.

But until we overcome the world and the flesh, then it is only logical that much of our prayer-life will be in the form of pleading for God’s mercy and deliverance from the cesspool of sin!

.

USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

ADULTERERS & ADULTERESSES

.

Listen to the New Testament letter of James… 

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses,

know ye not that the friendship of the world

is enmity with God? 

whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world

is the enemy of God….

Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;

and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:

let your laughter be turned to mourning,

and your joy to heaviness. 

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,

and He shall lift you up.”

James 4:4, 8-10

.

Notice that James calls us, “adulterers and adulteresses”. It is because we still have much love for this present self-seeking world, that James calls us “adulterers and adulteresses”.

.

PS Krøyer – Hip hip hurra! – Kunstnerfest på Skagen – 1888 – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

LOVING THIS WORLD IS HATING GOD!

.

But James is surprised to have to inform us that, “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” 

.

But then again, James did not live in a day when the world had yet embraced Christians.

.

James did not live in a day when it was getting harder and more difficult to get away from being surrounded by unbelievers!

.

And James did not live in a time when the government was in charge of “educating” our children!

.

No, James did not live in our day!

.

People on Times Square – cropped image – Wikimedia Commons – Share-Alike License

.

.

.

.

.

OUR PRESENT DISTRESS

.

But then again, James was merely the penman for God, in the writing of James’ Epistle.

.

And God obviously knew all about what we’re going through in this present day, as He guided James’ pen!

.

Yes, God knew that His people would be intermarrying with unbelievers, or at least, God knew Christians would be marrying near-unbelieving, nominal Christians!

.

And God foreknew all about the opulence and hedonism which our society has become mired in.

.

And He understood long ago that high-tech devices and Internet would become so powerful, that God’s people and their children would become prisoners of these communication devices.

.

And God well-knew about all the many clubs and hobbies, and vacation resorts, and time-consuming, energy-sapping careers that too many Christians and their children would be seeking after.

.

And God knew about all the materialism of this industrial-age that has become our daily pursuit, to a great extent!

.

Yes, God foreknew in ages past, all about the things which cause us to put our relationship with Him on the backburner, as we go after so many of these costly and time-consuming pursuits!

.

Mall Market culture – Jakarta – Wikimedia – share-alike-lic.

.

.

.

.

.

MODERN-DAY JONAH’S!

.

Yes, in this fearful hour, Satan has imperceptibly swallowed us up, just as surely as Jonah was swallowed up by that giant fish!

.

And now, we must pray, even as Jonah prayed out of the belly of that whale…“out of the belly of Hell”…which this sin-drenched world is!

.

“And (Jonah) said,

I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD,

and He heard me; out of THE BELLY OF HELL cried I,

and Thou heardest my voice.”

Jonah 2:2-8

.

Yes, just like Jonah’s prayer here, we too have sought after lying vanities, and Hell has enlarged her mouth and swallowed us up!

.

And we are in the belly of Hell as surely as was Jonah!

.

Prayer – USMC – Wikimedia – US Govt. Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

OUR GENTLE SHEPHERD!

.

And so, because He understands all these things, God is gently calling us back to Him… 

…”As a Shepherd seeketh out His flock…

so will I seek out My sheep,

and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered

in the cloudy and dark day.”

Ezekiel 34:12

.

Therefore, as the sheep of His pasture, we must spend much time on our knees, praying for the deliverance of ourselves and for God’s mercy on our families. 

.

Brooklyn Museum-The Good Shepherd (Le bon pasteur)-James Tissot wikpedia US public domain

.

.

.

.

.

THE VERY GOOD NEWS!

.

Yes, dear soul, if you and I are tired of seeing the Enemy of Souls doing his deadly dance upon our backs and upon our children’s backs…

.

…and if you and I are tired of living in this self-seeking and Mammon-loving world, then we must pray for deliverance and victory!

.

.

.

.

.

.

TO READ PART 6, CLICK HERE…

OCTOBER 22 . . . . End-Time Exodus, Part 6: “Questions, Questions, Questions!!!

Question Mark – Wikimedia – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me the gift of unceasing prayer. And give me a humble and repentant heart…

Prayer – Mother and Daughter – Wikipedia – (cropped image) the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “How Shall The Moon Be Turned Into Blood?”…

…or you can also read… “April 6th (Wrestling With God!)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

.

.

.

.

THE END

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN

 

.

.

.

 

HEAVENLY OBJECT LESSON

.

When God created the Moon and the stars, He ordained them to “rule the night” (Genesis 1:16). 

.

The Moon, especially when it is full, can light your pathway through the night, as it reflects the light of the Sun.

.

So too, the Christian is to be a light to the world: to this sin-darkened world. 

.

But as the Moon must reflect the light of the Sun, in order to be a light to the world…

.

…so also, must the Christian reflect the light of Jesus, to be a spiritual light to this planet in rebellion.

Listen…“Ye are the light of the world…

Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16

.

However, during an eclipse, the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, preventing that sunlight from shining on the Moon’s face.

.

This is an incredible object-lesson about when the child of God allows the world to come between him and his Lord.

.

Like the eclipse, that person no longer reflects the light of Jesus, because his or her love of this dark world of sin has eclipsed the light from the “Sun of Righteousness” (see Malachi 4:2). 

.

And so, this is just one of the many poetic truths seen in the Moon.

.

And this article will show some further metaphoric truths to this wonderful and mysterious object-lesson in the sky, known as the Moon.

.

Dutch Painting: Um_moinho_dominando_a_baía_à_luz_lunar wikimedia US public domain

This is a drawing of a winter-time total lunar eclipse, first published in Bilder- (Picture Atlas of the Stemenwelt) in 1888

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “How Shall The Moon Be Turned Into Blood?” 

.

.

.

.

.

TOMORROW:

“August 30th (Etch-A-Sketch Heart!)”

Taj Mahal drawing on an Etch-A-Sketch – Wikimedia – Share-Alike Lic.

.

.

.

.

.

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

.

ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

.

THIS IS STUDY #239 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

.

.

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

.

.

.

 

.

.

Today’s Devotional – August 28th

.

.

.

.

.

End-Time Exodus,

.

Part 4:

“Overcoming The World!”

To Read Part 1, click here… “August 25th (End-Time Exodus! Part 1)”

.

.

.

.

.

.

.                             

 

In the last two devotionals (click here to read), it has been revealed, that the way to overcome the world and the flesh, is to join the Lord in a three-part process of taking back the heart from the Devil.

.

Because the heart is the territory which the Devil gained long ago. 

.

And so, the Devil has been engaging in a war against Heaven, to retain control over the human heart.

.

.

.

.

.

SATAN: MASTER OF CONFUSION

.

And the first thing that Satan has done, is to convince us that we don’t have a heart!

.

Yes, the Devil has tampered with the English language, in attempt to confuse us into thinking that our blood-pump is our heart!

.

But our heart is the treasure-chest of the mind!

.

It is where the love of all our precious treasures is stored!

.

It is the common ground between the Believer and God!

.

It is the Most Holy place, in which we are to minister as priests before God.

.

Heart oblique external – cropped image – Wikimedia – Share-Alike Lic.

.

.

.

.

.

KINGDOM OF GOD WITHIN

.

Listen… “And when He (Jesus) was demanded of the Pharisees,

when the kingdom of God should come,

He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there!

for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Luke 17:20, 21

.

And so, the Kingdom of God is within us. Thus, the heart and mind are to be our own little portion of God’s Kingdom.

.

And of course, God’s eternal dwelling place is His Temple! Therefore, as priests together with Christ, our heart is where we minister before our Heavenly Father.

.

Oh yes, Jesus is our High Priest! But we are to eternally reign as co-priests with Christ…

…“But ye are a chosen generation,

a royal priesthood,

an holy nation,”

(1st Peter 2:9)

.

.

.

.

.

.

IN HEAVENLY PLACES

.

“And (God) hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” Ephesians 2:6

.

And so, we don’t have to wait to sit with Christ in Heavenly Places!

.

We are to be there right now!

.

Oh no, we are not there physically! But God has graciously taken up residence in our heart!

.

Therefore, it is in the heart that we sit with Him in Heavenly Places!

.

Listen… “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;” Ephesians 3:17.

.

So, Heaven is in our heart! And Christ is there in our heart, sitting on His throne!

 

.

.

.

.

.

.

GOD SITS AS A PURIFIER OF SILVER & GOLD

.

But now, we come to the third part of this three-fold equation for complete and total victory over the world and over the flesh.

.

And so, the third part which greatly is the work of God, is to purify us by fire, just as gold is tried in the fire!

.

Yes, God must purify our heart, and fill it with the pure heavenly gold of faith and love.

.

And He will “sit as a purifier of silver…as gold”, to purify His royal priesthood (Believers), with the silver of purity, and the gold of faith and love!

.

And so, the Believer must go through the necessary trials in his or her daily walk with God, so that we may say, along with Job…

…”But He knoweth the way that I take:

when He hath tried me,

I shall come forth as gold.”

Job 23:10

.

gold smelting – cropped image – Public Domain – wn.com

.

.

.

.

.

POWER TO PREVAIL

.

And God promises us power beyond anything we can imagine!

.

Listen… “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith…

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly

above all that we ask or think,

according to the power that worketh in us…”

                                                                                                                                                       

.

As this above passage reveals, God can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the Power that works in us!

.

And so, with promises like this, how can we lose?

.

Transfiguration – Bloch – Wikimedia Commons – US Public-Domain

.

.

.

.

.

.

TO READ PART 5, CLICK HERE…

“August 29th (End-Time Exodus, Part 5: Overcoming The World!)”

Globeblack wikimedia public domain

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Bring me through the fires of tribulation, so that I might become a vessel unto honor…

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “What Is “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”?”…

…or you can also read… “July 29th (The Chrysalis Christian, Part 3: Afflictions)”

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

 

.

.

.

.

THE END

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN

 

 

.

.

.

 

GLORIOUS CROWN CONSTELLATION… 

.

& THE REVELATION 12 WOMAN

(Click here to read more!)

.

Let us meet our first host: The Glorious Crown of Revelation 12 Constellation!

.

 

.

This Glorious Crown Constellation looks like a wreath at first glance.

.

It has 7 stars, plus another star in the middle.

.

This Glorious Crown Constellation is commonly referred to as the Corona Borealis Constellation.

.

This wreath reminds us of the victory wreath given to athletes who won races in the ancient cultures.

.

This was spoken of by Paul as he compared those ancient races to the race that Christians must run… 

…“Know you all not,

that they which run in a race run all,

but one receives the prize?

So run, that you all may obtain.”

1st Corinthians 9:24 (see also Hebrews 12:1) 

.

Photo: Corona Borealis – seen in warmer months – cropped photo with crown drawn in by this website – Wikipedia – Taken from software called Perseus – All rights by Roberto Mura 

.

.

.

.

. 

“A CROWN OF 12 STARS UPON HER HEAD” …

.

But upon a closer examination if you have access to a very dark sky out in the country…

.

…if you watch this wreath, you will eventually see 5 more very faint stars, making a total of 12 stars, plus that single star in the middle.

.

This wreath now becomes a crown of 12 stars.

.

This goes along with Revelation 12, which tells of a crown of 12 stars upon the head of the Virtuous Woman of Revelation 12.

.

Just listen to Revelation… “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman…and upon (over) her head a crown of twelve stars:” Revelation 12:1.

.

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Crown of Revelation 12: What Is “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble”?”

.

.

.

.

.

TOMORROW:

“August 29th (End-Time Exodus, Part 5: Overcoming The World!)”

Globeblack wikimedia public domain

.

.

.

.

.

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

.

ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

.

THIS IS STUDY #238 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

 

.

.

.

Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.com – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

 

 

.

.

Today’s Devotional – August 27th

.

.

.

.

End-Time Exodus,

.

Part 3:

“Overcoming The World!”

To Read Part 1, click here… “August 25th (End-Time Exodus! Part 1)”

.

.

.

.

.

.

There have been a few wonderful ministries over the past decades. And some of these are still being broadcast over radio.

.

The problem is, that these past ministries were quite often designed for Christians living in spiritual Babylon, i.e., the world.

.

And so, much of the advice on these broadcasts were mingled with some really worldly advice.

.

And most of these had some glaring errors in the doctrines presented. 

.

It doesn’t mean that these Bible teachers were necessarily apostate, (though many of them were apostate).

.

But God is testing us, to see if we love these fallible men more than we love Him and His Word!

.

And so, God allowed erroneous teachings to be mingled into the otherwise good and biblical teachings.

.

Audience hands – cropped & altered – Wikimedia – Universal Public Domain

.

.

.

.

.

COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM

.

Now in yesterday’s devotional (click here), one great secret to overcoming the world was discussed…

.

…clearing out the heart from all the ungodly graffiti which has been allowed to accumulate via all the modern media…

.

…clearing out such things as television, magazines, novels, Internet, CD’s, radio, as well as personal friendships with unbelievers.

.

Listen… “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:

for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?

and what communion hath light with darkness?…

Wherefore come out from among them,

and be ye separate, saith the Lord,

and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

And will be a Father unto you,

and ye shall be My sons and daughters,

saith the Lord Almighty.”

2nd Corinthians 6:14, 17, 18

.

And as this above passage reveals, this kind of separation is pre-requisite to having God treat us as His children!

.

.

.

.

.

“THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND”

Romans 12:1, 2

.

But today’s devotional deals with the other half of the equation of how to win the battle of overcoming the world and overcoming the flesh.

.

And this half of the equation is that of replenishing the heart with the pure words of God!

.

Yes, here we have the two-part process of emptying the heart of all worldly graffiti, and then replenishing it with the pure words of Christ!

.

Listen… “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,

nor standeth in the way of sinners,

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD;

and in His law doth he meditate day and night.”

Psalm 1:1, 2

.

Notice this above passage from the very first Psalm encapsulates exactly what is being discussed in these two devotionals!

.

To clear out all the rubbish, and to meditate (contemplate) upon Christ’s Word, day and night, is exactly what we are talking about in yesterday’s and today’s devotionals!

.

ABOVE PICTURE: Mark of the beast – pub. dom. – Wikipedia

.

.

.

.

.

THE BATTLE BEFORE US

.

And so, let’s remember what Paul commands us to do…

“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,

but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Casting down imaginations,

and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,

and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience,

when your obedience is fulfilled.”

2nd Corinthians 10:4-6

.

Yes, Paul has put into military terms, the victory of obedience!

.

And so, Paul is telling us what the battle is all about: complete victory over the thoughts of the heart! Herein lies the secret to complete Christian victory!

.

.

.

.

.

THIRD PART: GOD’S PART

.

But though this is the two-fold duty of each and every Christian, there is a third part.

.

Yes, this third part is the Lord’s part (even though He helps us do our two-part responsibility victoriously).

.

And tomorrow’s devotional will speak about this third part of the recipe for Christian victory over the world, and over the flesh!

.

David’s sorrow – Wikigallery – Public Domain

.

.

.

.

TO READ PART 4, CLICK HERE…

August 28th (End-Time Exodus, Part 4: Overcoming The World!)

Globeblack wikimedia public domain

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S PRAYER…

“Dear Lord, Give me a love for filling my heart with Thy Word…

Pray for Our Nation sign – Wikimedia – Share-alike-lic.

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “How To Enter The Most Holy Place”…

.

…or you can also read… May 7 (Psalm 1: How To Breeze Through The Coming Crisis!“)

Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license

.

.

.

.

.

THE END

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

TODAY’S FEATURED SIGN

 

.

.

.

Orion The Good Shepherd 

(Click on this above title link for more in-depth study)

.

Here is a brand-new Orion.

.

This was first seen in December, 2012.

.

With the addition of a single star, Theta Geminorum (the left hand of the Castor twin of Gemini), this little star converts Orion the Reaper’s sickle (left), into the hook of a shepherd’s rod & staff.

.

This addition now makes the 5th personality of Orion, Orion the Good Shepherd.

.

One sketch to the left is Orion the Reaper, with a shorter hook which represents his sickle.

.

But now, with the addition of that little star, which is commonly known as the left hand of the Castor Twin in the Constellation Gemini, the sketch below shows the result, which is Orion, The Good Shepherd.

.

.

Theta Geminorum is a class A3, 4th magnitude star, which means it is much fainter than either Castor or Pollux.

.

And yet, this is the little star at the very tip of the hook of Orion, the Good Shepherd’s rod & staff.

.

But faint as it may be, together with its other Gemini stars, this shepherd’s rod & staff presents a giant concept, which is a very wonderful and beautiful Bible truth: namely, that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, as it is written…

.

.

“A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want (lack).

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

he leadeth me beside the still waters…

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Psalm 23:1, 2, 4

.

ABOVE WIKIPEDIA STAR-CHART: Orion the reaper – Wikipedia star-chart (with the Reaper drawn over by this website)

ABOVE WIKIPEDIA STAR-CHART – winter – Orion the Good Shepherd (Orion Constellation and rod made of Gemini stars – with the Shepherd drawn over by this website) – www.signsofheaven.org

.

.

.

.

.

.

READ MORE…

To explore deeper into this subject, please read… The Orion Phenomena 

.

.

.

.

.

TOMORROW:

“August 28th (End-Time Exodus, Part 4: Overcoming The World!)”

Globeblack wikimedia public domain

.

.

.

.

20+ MINUTE AUDIO JEREMIAH STUDY

.

ALL ‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL. 

.

THIS IS STUDY #237 PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING…

.

.

.

.

.

.